German · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 7 of 12
Culture and traditions
Feste und Bräuche
Talk about customs and festivals in German: relative clauses in the nominative, accusative and dative, and man for what people usually do.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Talk about Advent and Christmas customs
- Describe things and people with relative clauses
- Choose the right relative pronoun, including denen
- Say what people usually do with man
Listen
In early December in Chemnitz, Kerstin (52) explains some customs to her son's girlfriend Emily (26), who is from Manchester. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Emily
Kerstin, warum stehen vier Kerzen auf dem Tisch?
Kerstin, why are there four candles on the table?
Kerstin
Das ist ein Adventskranz. Am ersten Sonntag im Advent zündet man eine Kerze an, am zweiten Sonntag zwei, und so weiter.
That's an Advent wreath. On the first Sunday in Advent you light one candle, on the second Sunday two, and so on.
Emily
Ach so. Und die Figuren aus Holz im Wohnzimmer? Die sind sehr schön.
I see. And the wooden figures in the living room? They're very beautiful.
Kerstin
Die kommen aus dem Erzgebirge. Das ist die Region, in der ich aufgewachsen bin.
They come from the Erzgebirge. That's the region where I grew up.
Emily
Und wer ist der Mann mit dem großen Mund, der neben dem Sofa steht?
And who's the man with the big mouth who's standing next to the sofa?
Kerstin
Das ist ein Nussknacker, den mir mein Vater geschenkt hat, als ich ein Kind war.
That's a nutcracker that my father gave me when I was a child.
Emily
So etwas habe ich in Manchester noch nie gesehen. Was machen die Kinder hier im Advent?
I've never seen anything like that in Manchester. What do children do here in Advent?
Kerstin
Am Abend vor dem sechsten Dezember stellen sie ihre Stiefel vor die Tür. In der Nacht bringt der Nikolaus Süßigkeiten.
On the evening before the sixth of December they put their boots outside the door. In the night, St Nicholas brings sweets.
Emily
Und wann bekommt man die Geschenke? In England ist das am 25. Dezember morgens.
And when do you get the presents? In England it's on the morning of the 25th of December.
Kerstin
Bei uns schon an Heiligabend. Zuerst schmücken wir den Weihnachtsbaum, und nach dem Essen gibt es die Geschenke.
Here it's already on Christmas Eve. First we decorate the Christmas tree, and after dinner there are the presents.
Emily
Und was esst ihr an Heiligabend?
And what do you eat on Christmas Eve?
Kerstin
Ganz einfach: Kartoffelsalat mit Würstchen. Das ist ein Essen, mit dem man nicht viel Arbeit hat.
Something very simple: potato salad with sausages. It's a meal that doesn't take much work.
Understand
Relative clauses: der Mann, der …
A relative clause gives more information about a noun, like English “who”, “which” or “that”: (the man who is standing next to the sofa). It's separated by commas, and its verb goes to the end.
The relative pronoun looks almost like . It takes its gender and number from the noun it describes: …, …, …. In these three cases, only the dative plural is different: .
| Case | masculine | feminine | neuter | plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | ||||
| accusative | ||||
| dative |
Which case? Look inside the relative clause
The case depends on the pronoun's job inside the relative clause. If it's the subject, use the nominative: . If it's the object, use the accusative: (my father gave it to me). If the verb needs a dative, use the dative: .
With a preposition, the preposition comes first, and the pronoun takes the case the preposition needs: , . English can leave out “that”; German never leaves out the relative pronoun.
- Das ist die Frau, die neben uns wohnt.That's the woman who lives next to us.
- Das ist der Kuchen, den ich jedes Jahr backe.That's the cake (that) I bake every year.
- Das sind die Freunde, mit denen ich Weihnachten feiere.Those are the friends (who) I celebrate Christmas with.
man: what people do
To describe customs, German often uses with the / / form of the verb. It means people in general, like English “you”, “one” or “people”: Don't confuse it with (the man).
- An Heiligabend schmückt man den Weihnachtsbaum.On Christmas Eve people decorate the Christmas tree.
- Was isst man in England an Weihnachten?What do people eat in England at Christmas?
More in the grammar: Relative clauses: der Mann, der …
New words
- der AdventAdvent (the four weeks before Christmas) · = Advent wreath
- die Kerzecandle · feminine, plural:
- anzündento light · separable:
- und so weiterand so on · written short: usw.
- aus Holzwooden, made of wood · = wood; = figure
- aufwachsento grow up · separable; Perfekt:
- der Nussknackernutcracker · masculine, plural:
- schenkento give (as a present) · = present (plural: )
- der Stiefelboot · masculine, plural: ; = St Nicholas
- die Türdoor · feminine, plural: ; = outside the door
- die Süßigkeitensweets · plural
- HeiligabendChristmas Eve · = on Christmas Eve; = Christmas
- den Weihnachtsbaum schmückento decorate the Christmas tree · = tree
- der Kartoffelsalatpotato salad · = potato; = sausage
Practise
1.Choose the relative pronoun. “Das ist ein Nussknacker, ___ mir mein Vater geschenkt hat.”
2.Complete with the relative pronoun.
That's the region where I grew up.
3.Complete with the relative pronoun.
Who's the man who's standing next to the sofa?
4.Complete with the relative pronoun.
Those are the children St Nicholas brings sweets to.
5.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.On the first Sunday in Advent you light one candle.
6.Match the words with their meanings.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Das ist ein Nussknacker, den mir mein Vater geschenkt hat.
That's a nutcracker that my father gave me.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.